"I'm studying new training methodologies to help the boys..." Paolo Merella had been coaching for over half a century, yet he continued to update himself, to go to clinics, to keep up with the times to try to help the boys and girls he coached grow . And when he met other coaches or basketball enthusiasts he liked to chat, to compare notes. The 72-year-old coach from Sassari died during the night due to illness.

A well-deserving coach, he was at the helm of Dinamo Under 15, yet another team in a career that has few equals for longevity in Sardinian basketball. He began coaching at just 15 years old. He coached practically all the teams in Sassari, many men's teams but also women's teams: Torres, Sant'Orsola, Dinamo 2000, Cus Sassari and most recently Dinamo in the youth sector. He also led Porto Torres and Olbia.

Yet despite his experience, Paolo Merella did not feel he had arrived or was living off his wealth. He continued to learn, to try to improve, driven by passion and also by respect for the boys and girls he trained, because for him the main objective was to train players, to train teams that could have fun.

"The real defeat is when a boy or a girl gives up basketball," he loved to repeat. That's why Paolo Merella was so esteemed, even by colleagues who worked with him or had him as an opponent.

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